Until the current administration came along, never in American history had so many people claimed to be taking responsibility without taking even the least little bit. Some leaders take pride in knowing how to delegate responsibility. Obama and his crew only know how to delegate blame.

It’s been a while, but surely you recall that when we heard about the Justice Department funneling guns to Mexican drug cartels, Attorney General Eric Holder swore he had no idea who green-lighted Operation Fast and Furious, but he was darn certain it wasn’t him.

When someone in the White House leaked national security secrets intended to make the president look competent in foreign affairs to the New York Times, everyone with an active brain cell was certain the leaker was Barack Obama, but Obama had a hunch it was some tourist from Nebraska who just happened to be passing through the White House before tours were curtailed because of that doggone sequester.

Hillary Clinton said she was taking responsibility for what occurred in Benghazi. That is to say she was responsible for everything, except for denying Ambassador Stevens the additional security he begged for; for removing the little bit of security he had; and for lying about the massacre having been triggered by a YouTube video nobody ever saw. Aside from all that, Mrs. Clinton wanted us to know that about three cents of the buck stopped with her and 97 cents stopped with some underlings she had never even met.

In the case of Obama, after he, David Axelrod and other members of his campaign team got done revising CIA reports about the Benghazi massacre, and handing them off to Susan Rice so she could repeat his lies on five Sunday news shows, Obama gallantly sprang to her defense. When people demanded to know where she got off trying to peddle stale baloney, Obama, pretending to be the stand-up guy he isn’t, told the media that if they had a bone to pick with anyone, they should pick it with him. And as soon as they did, he turned around and told Ambassador Rice that she could forget about becoming secretary of state.

Jeremiah Wright could have warned her that Obama may throw a baseball like a little girl, but he’s Olympic-class when it comes to tossing people under the bus.

Inasmuch as it made about as much sense for the ambassador to the U.N. to have gone on those various news shows as Lady Gaga, one can only assume that someone decided that Rice was a better liar than Clinton, or at least more expendable. And, frankly, after seeing Clinton’s phony over-the-top performance before the Senate committee, I have to agree. You’d have thought that after all those years spent listening to Bill tell one whopper after another, she’d be better at it.

That brings us to the kerfuffle at the IRS. Typically, as soon as it came out that the tax collectors had been making life extra miserable for conservative groups, the blame was placed on underlings in the Cincinnati office. Like Capt. Renault in “Casablanca,” who was shocked to learn that gambling took place in the backroom at Rick’s, Obama claimed he had no idea that those upstarts were creating havoc for his political opponents. It’s even possible he didn’t. Between golf and fundraising and accusing Republicans of being Satan’s spawn, he can’t know every last thing that people are doing on his behalf.

I’m sure that’s also holds true for mafia dons. I’m told that they don’t always have to give specific orders; they merely need to have it understood that they’d appreciate having certain things done. And in those places where corruption reigns, whether it’s denying a tea party group tax-exempt status or putting an icepick in the ear of a crosstown rival, they’re done.

The upside of all this is that even the members of the major media seem to be getting tired of being played like suckers by this administration. These people don’t mind lying on behalf of a left-wing president. In fact, they accept that it’s part of their job description, not to mention their main purpose in life. But they resent it like hell when they’re the target of a president’s lies and the objects of his obvious contempt.

It may have taken well over four years, but even the folks from the New York Times, the Washington Post and the major TV networks seem to have finally had enough. In the past, Obama could have gotten away stonewalling the press about an event that saw four American patriots murdered by jihadists, claiming, as is his wont, that he couldn’t possibly comment during an ongoing investigation.

But that was then and this is now. This time, after months of lying about what he knew and when he knew it, when the truth finally started seeping out, thanks to State Department whistleblowers, and Obama tried to dismiss it as old news, the members of the White House press corps were no longer nodding along like a roomful of dashboard dollies.

And those little wet drops on Jay Carney’s brow weren’t sweat. That was blood.

Receive Burt Prelutsky's commentaries in your email

BONUS: By signing up for Burt Prelutsky's alerts, you will also be signed up for news and special offers from WND via email.

Name*

FirstLast

Email*

Where we will email your daily updates

Postal code*

A valid zip code or postal code is required

Click the button below to sign up for Burt Prelutsky's commentaries by email, and keep up to date with special offers from WND. You may change your email preferences at any time.